In the past we've covered how to turn the inexpensive Ikea Sunnan solar lamp into a solar display case and today we have a hack from electronics manufacturer Voltaic Systems to turn the same lamp into a solar charging station for an iPad or other power-hungry phone or tablet.

With just some wood, plexiglass, and a $20 lamp from IKEA, you can create a lit display case that…
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This hack is actually three mini-hacks rolled into one—Voltaic shows how to replace the low-capacity rechargeable batteries in the lamp's battery pack with larger batteries, mod the lamp to accept additional external solar panels, and adding a modified Minty Boost charging circuit to allow devices to pull up to 1 Amp of electricity.

Instructables has a step-by-step for building your very own Altoids tin USB charger (dubbed the…
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When these three mini-hacks are combined you will have upgraded a novelty lamp into a robust charging station that can charge smart phones and tablets much more quickly than the tiny solar panel included on the lamp. This project will require around $50 and is accessible for beginner electronics hobbyists who know how to solder.